Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups as his two goals helped Portugal to a 5-0 victory over debutant Uzbekistan.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cup seasons, with the Portuguese captain silencing his critics by scoring twice in a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.
Tuesday’s big win in Houston pushed Portugal to the brink of a place in the knockout stages and was a huge response to the 41-year-old’s doubters.
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Ronaldo’s goal six minutes into the game made history for him, having scored in six World Cups since 2006, surpassing even Lionel Messi.
The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus ace performed his trademark ‘Siu’ celebration, letting out a guttural roar in front of 68,777 fans.
After Nuno Mendes made it 2-0, Ronaldo calmly scored his second goal six minutes before the break.
This gave him 10 goals in the World Cup, more than any other Portuguese player, including the great Eusebio.
Ronaldo entered the team match against Uzbekistan, his first appearance in the tournament, having scored 143 goals, the most in international men’s soccer.
But once widely seen as Messi’s rival for the unofficial title of best player, his power at the top level is waning.
His appearance was limited in a disappointing 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which marked the start of Portugal’s World Cup victory.
However, he missed the target despite having two chances, prompting calls for manager Roberto Martinez to remove him.
His efforts in front of goal were in stark contrast to the likes of Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, who all made an electric start to the World Cup.
But Martinez has defiantly stuck by his captain, who received a rapturous reception when he came out for warm-ups at Houston Stadium and every time he appeared on screen again.
ronaldo day
Ronaldo almost pounced after just three minutes, but just missed the far post after receiving a cross from Mendes. Ronaldo slapped the grass in frustration.
He didn’t have to wait long for his goal, circling over the six-yard box to meet a cross from Joao Cancelo for the first time and smashing the ball past goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov.
Underdog Uzbekistan, coached by 2006 Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro, was the perfect opponent for Ronaldo to rediscover his goal-scoring ability.
Mendes curled a free kick in the 17th minute to make it 2-0.
The Uzbeks seemed to have pulled one back with a shout from Assyon Ganiev, but the goal was canceled due to VAR intervention for a foul on Cancelo.
It was Ronaldo’s day and he scored his third goal with only the goalkeeper to his name, beating it with a smart and controlled finish.
Nematov could have scored a third goal with a complicated free-kick routine, but Nematov rammed the veteran attacker in the process and denied it.
It was 4-0 from the resulting corner kick, and Ronaldo was in the thick of it again, and the ball went into Nematov’s goal and into his own goal.
Substitute Rafael Leao scored a dramatic fifth goal in the 87th minute.
Ronaldo told reporters after the match that he was pleased with the team’s much improved performance.
“I’m very happy. But the most important thing for me is our work and the confidence we showed. The team performed really well and grew a lot,” he said.
“Personally speaking, the record is always great, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its goals.”
Portugal’s final group game was against Colombia on Saturday, who defeated Uzbekistan 3-1.
Colombia will face the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Group K later on Tuesday, with a win clinching a place in the last 32.
